Elgin man gets 21 years for role in '08 home invasion

An Elgin man who was part of a gang of men who broke into a home and held a family hostage was sentenced today to 21 years in prison.

Donnel J. Lyle, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of home invasion for his role in the break-in, which took place Aug. 22, 2008, in the 3600 block of Old Bridge Lane on the far west side of Elgin.

According to Kane County State's Atty. John Barsanti, the men had no connection to the family of six--a husband and wife, their three children, and a mother-in-law--that lived there.

The men briefly held the family members hostage, but fled when they realized the wife was not in the house. She had climbed out a window and gone to a neighbor's to call police, Barsanti said.

The family had lived in the house less than a month when the break-in occurred, Barsanti said.

Lyle's guilty plea carried a minimum six-year sentence, but since he carried a gun during the crime, he faced an automatic 15-year addition to his sentence. The other men charged in the break-in have pleaded guilty, except for Anthony Starks, of Rockford, who is awaiting trial.